What to watch for in 2014

I confess, I’ve been a bad blogger. You have my sincere apologies. Somewhere along the way these past couple of months, I neglected my duties. But it’s a new year, and I promise to be more vigilant in 2014.

This year will be a big one for the Lafayette Parish School System. In no particular order, here are some of the main issues and events I think will impact the district:

Lafayette Parish School Board elections

Frustrations have been mounting among community leaders about the ongoing tensions between the school board and Superintendent Pat Cooper. Since the summer, there have been rumblings that more people than ever are considering running for school board seats in the Nov. 4, 2014 election. Expect several candidate announcements over the next few months, and a crowded field. It will also be interesting to see which incumbents run for re-election.

Charter schools enter Lafayette

Officials from National Heritage Academies and Charter Schools USA plan to have at least one of their charter schools open in Lafayette Parish by this August. This will mark the first time that such charters have operated in Lafayette. We will see what impact they have on the district’s schools, and how things shake out in terms of staffing, curriculum and student population.

Budget woes

Cooper has said he expects the district to enter the 2013-14 fiscal year with a deficit of at least $14 million, thanks to more state mandates and less state and federal funding. Lafayette Parish has a healthy stream of tax revenue, but much of that money is allocated or put into a reserve fund. A proposal to increase taxes for schools went nowhere, so officials are now looking at dipping into the reserve fund to keep things afloat. If the board continues with their reluctance to use those dollars, the summer could be filled with talks about where to make big cuts.

Struggling schools try to improve

When the state released school performance scores in October, officials celebrated Alice Boucher Elementary moving out of failing status and into the “D” bracket. However, the school moved up by only a few points. The district and Principal Annette Samec are working hard to continue the positive momentum and make sure the school doesn’t backslide. Meanwhile, J.W. Faulk Elementary is the district’s only “F” school, and needs to show significant improvement this year to avoid the threat of a state takeover. District officials are working closely with Principal Katrina Riley and staff to move the school out of failing status. By August, there should be an indication of how those efforts are working, before the next state scores are released in October.